Sunday, November 08, 2009

31)Health & Serenity

Needless to say, health and serenity are not separate and distinct. Our physical health unmistakably affects our mental health. And this being a two way street, our state of mind plays a huge role in the quality of our physical health. Unity Woods teacher, Alyson Ross, recently presented a program at the Bethesda studio on Yoga and the Physiology of Stress in which she described the current state of research regarding the effect stress has on physical health. The data is powerful and unequivocal in connecting the importance of our reactions to stress to our physical well-being.

But serenity has meaning and importance beyond physical health.
The word derives from the Latin word serenus, which means clear as well as calm. Clarity and calmness are important benefits of yoga. Indeed, one of the common portrayals of the yoga practitioner is that she is calm and serene. How many ads have you seen on TV and in magazines of a woman in a white leotard sitting in half lotus on a beach or in a forest glen, eyes closed, a gentle smile on her face, obviously in a state of quiet bliss? (Of course, it’s not the yoga that’s responsible for this, but the anxiety medication she just took or the new car she bought.) Even in everyday life, however, real examples of this common conception exist. People in the building where I teach have often commented on the calm demeanor of the students leaving from their classes, and unless these students are all secretly popping stress meds in the lavatory, the yoga is clearly having that effect.

There are a number of reasons why yoga has such a calming effect.
The physical activity of doing the postures, just as with any exercise, stimulates chemicals in the brain that engender a state of happiness and contentment. And by directing attention to the subtleties of the postures, the mind is drawn from its usually scattered nature to a more focused, one-pointed state. This focused state allows the practitioner to let go, at least for a time, of many of the day-to-day worries that can produce distress and anxiety. Furthermore, the guided relaxation that comes at the end of class (or throughout the class if it’s a restorative class) teaches the student to recognize where she is holding tension in her body and mind and how to let go of that tension.

Breathing
is also a powerful contributor to creating serenity. The shift in breathing that occurs when the poses (asanas) are done properly relaxes the mind, and the more direct practice of pranayama (yogic breathing) promotes this calming effect to an even greater degree.

On another level, one of the important things the sincere and persistent student of yoga learns through his practice is that there are things in his body and mind he can change, things he can’t, and that with practice, he can begin to distinguish between the two. This discriminating wisdom helps to foster an attitude of acceptance of the ways things are that brings about contentment. The realization that he also has the power to change the causes of his discomfort energizes him and carries him forward in his efforts toward that end. And finally the conflicts within him that come from uselessly struggling with the things he can’t change begin to fall away.

By John Schumacher ( Senior BKS Iyengar Teacher )

Unity Woods Yoga Center Fall 2009 Newsletter


Tuesday, September 08, 2009

30)Practised Before Preaching

Today i.e 8th September being the birthday of Swami Sivananda I am sharing the following message by Swami Chidananda . Swami Sivananda’s preachings are all backed by his personal experience of practical Sadhana of the past twenty-five years of ascetic life. His teachings are not based on mere academic knowledge or study of ancient and modern philosophies and religions, but have been carefully devised after personal practice of many years and intimate knowledge. They can easily be comprehended and translated into practice by any sincere aspirant.

Gurudev used to write addressing young aspirants:

You must be very correct, very punctual, very regular. You should discipline yourself rigidly. Otherwise, you cannot attain the highest, the Realisation. It is not an easy task. Happy-go-lucky type easy temperament is no good in spiritual pursuits. Have you noticed how correct, how strict, how disciplined are the soldiers in the army? They have to stand in the parade according to the unit or battalion they belong to. They have to be absolutely spick and span. They do polishing of the shoes and brass by themselves. Even if a single button is dull, the inspecting officer spots the soldier and puts him into quarter-guard, and he will have to do fettling duty. They are always fighting fit, trim and clean, neat and tidy, because they have been drilled into this sort of correctness, precision and training. When an ordinary soldier is required to be so disciplined, so correct, so punctual, so regular, then what to say about you, O aspirant! A spiritual aspirant has to be even ten times more strict, regular, punctual, correct, well-disciplined. A soldier fights to win a battle, whereas an aspirant has to win the kingdom of heaven, win Kaivalya Moksha. Therefore, never give leniency to your mind.

When Gurudev said that, there was hundred per cent impact on the hearer. After hearing Gurudev, one could no longer remain what he was till then. Why? Because when Gurudev gave any instruction, one could clearly see he gave it with the firm conviction of his own practice. In fact, whatever Gurudev has said about Sadhana is based on his own experience only. He advised to the Sadhakas and disciples only such Sadhana which he himself had practised for such a long time that it had become his daily routine, his second nature. So it carried conviction, it carried a force behind it. The hearer immediately felt in his heart, ‘Here is someone who is saying what he himself has gone through; he is not giving us some theoretical or bookish knowledge; he is giving a part of his own life, his own self.’

That was the power behind Gurudev’s words. In spite of this fact, he seldom gave such straight, direct talk, rarely, very rarely, once in a while only. Gurudev used to say:

If anyone who is living in Sivananda Ashram complains of lack of guidance, he must be a lazy person, he has no interest in his own welfare. I have given everything necessary for a Sadhaka in my 300 books. If a Sadhaka is seriously interested in his own good, he should go through these books and he will have no more any doubts. He will never have any hesitation in proceeding with his Sadhana. Everything necessary for a spiritual aspirant is given in these books. Study them. If you have got any doubts after a sincere study, do come to me and ask.

He was indeed hundred per cent right. If anyone with real interest takes the pains to go through the hard labour Gurudev has put into his writings, then there will be an absolutely clear path ahead of him. For every question, for every doubt, there is an answer in his books. He was indeed, a man of practical wisdom.

Sri Swami Chidananda

Saturday, August 29, 2009

29) Commitment and discipline

Many students say that sometimes they have problems getting themselves to practice at home. Often I hear the statement, "I just don't have any discipline." I would like to redefine the concept of "discipline" by contrasting it with the concept of "commitment".

There is a big difference between discipline and commitment. "Discipline" is something that is externally generated, it is a "should". We have often internalized this "should" as the concept of discipline into our own inner voices; this is the voice we hear inside berating us when we don't practice.

Commitment, on the other hand, is a choice we make of our own volition. The difference between "discipline" and "commitment" is conflict. When we are imposing discipline upon ourselves we are in conflict with ourselves, arguing inside "yes, no, yes, no". But when we are committed there is no conflict, no argument, no problem.

Think about something in your life that you are committed to, for example, brushing your teeth. I doubt that you argue with yourself every morning about brushing your teeth. You just do it, whether it is interesting or boring, it doesn't matter.

When we are committed to practicing yoga, we just get on the mat every day, regardless of our mood, our state of mind, our internal dialogue.

If you have problems sometimes getting your self to practice, spend a little time figuring out what is standing in the way of your commitment to practice. I am guessing that what you learn in the process will not only free you up to practice more often but will enrich your life as well.

Judith Hanson Lasater
Senior Yoga Teacher . She is the author of six books: A Year of Living Your Yoga, Yoga Abs, Yoga for Pregnancy, 30 Essential Yoga Poses, Living Your Yoga and Relax and Renew.

Friday, August 28, 2009

28)Looking for remedies beyond Tamiflu- Yoga , Pranayama and Meditation

DR. R. KRISHNADAS


(The writer is a senior consultant neurosurgeon in Chennai)

http://www.hindu.com/op/2009/08/23/stories/2009082350071200.htm

It is time to wake up to the reality that swine flu is here to stay for good. The evolutionary process has subjected man to many challenges and the fittest have survived. The present challenge is nothing different and will not be the last, but it poses an interesting question as to how we can make ourselves physiologically better to face these challenges. Drugs and vaccines developed in the laboratory may not be the answer as the virus can develop resistance or can mutate .

It is time to move away from conventional scientific views and accept certain out of the box ideas which could be effective. The burden of defining what the best medical practice is has rested on western scientists. There is a lot that is still unknown in this universe and the same applies to human physiology.

A(H1N1)virus appears to be on every one’s lips and mind and the electronic media has been successful in spreading not only awareness but also panic and fear. The latter two were undesirable. Panic and fear produce many chemical reactions in the body and weaken not only the immune mechanisms but also affect the cardiovascular and respiratory system adversely making one more vulnerable to the virus. The host resistance plays an important role in the fight between the bugs and the body. The healthy suffer only a minor form of the disease, but the vulnerable especially the diabetics, the asthmatics, the immune compromised persons and the very old and the very young have to live in constant fear.

Are there mechanisms to increase immunity and to improve the functioning of the heart and the lungs? Psychoneuroimmunology and mind body medicine are the best bets to answer this burning topic. That the mind influences the body and its functioning is an accepted fact. Psychoneuro somatic integration helps the body to function in the best possible manner to combat diseases and this is best achieved through the practice of yoga.

The psyche, the nervous system and all the body organs are hardwired by nerves and regulated by chemicals. The emotional brain lies between the newly developed brain, the neocortex, which is highly developed in the humans and the primitive brain that subserves elementary functions like breathing. The human brain is like three computers wired together. The hypothalamus and the amygdala are the important components of the emotional brain and control the sympathetic nervous system and regulate the secretion of cortisol and adrenalin. Unregulated release of these chemicals can wreak havoc in the body as happens in stress. Cortisol is an immunosuppressant and adrenalin acts on the heart and lungs, making them more vulnerable to attack.

Fear is an emotion that is very effective in the release of these chemicals! Subjecting the emotional brain to the control of the neocortical brain can help regulate these dangerous chemicals. The immune system is of primary importance and can be effectively stimulated by specialised breathing techniques that improve both alveolar ventilation and blood oxygenation making the body more efficient in combating the virus.. The killer cells of the thymus, a component of the immune system, that carry out surveillance in the human body against cancer, is also effective against viruses. The thymus is amenable to stimulation only by endogenous melatonin which can be increased by meditation.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

27) Importance of July 14 for me

July 14 is a very important day in my life .Not only is it important because it is the Maha Samadhi day of Swami Sivananda , one of India's greatest spiritual teachers but also due to the fact that this was the day I started my Yoga Journey 12 years back in 1997 . I think it was a divine co-incidence that my Yoga journey started on the Maha Samadhi day of Swami Sivananda on July 14 . People ask me why I choose the Sivananda System and I say to them that I never choose the Sivananda System of Yoga , it choose me and I am ever grateful to the almighty for Yoga entering my life .For me July 14 was not just the day I started practising Yoga but it was also a day that started my assocition with the Sivananda Institution which I consider it to be an extended family of mine .Through this institution only I got certified as a Yoga Teacher by attending the Teachers Training Course in 1998 and then later went on to do the Advanced Yoga Teachers Training Course in 2004 and recently completed the Sadhana Intensive Course in Jan 2009 .It was due to the Sivananda institution that I got the offer of doing a 70 episode morning Yoga TV show for a private channell in 2001 and it was due to this institution that I came into contacts with many wonderful people worldwide . The Sivananda institution is a multi cultural University with people from various parts of the world as its staff and students and guests and the past 12 years have been an amazing experience for me meeting people from world over through the Sivananda Institution and I still continue to meet and make friends with people world over .Many times I had the previlege of Organizing retreats and taking many of these people out in and around Chennai and Thiruvanamalai being the favorite retreat spot . It was due to the Sivananda Institution that I was able to step outside of India first of all when they invited me to their Head Quarters in Quebec Canada in 2006 .The entire visit was sponsored by the Sivananda Organization and I had an excellent visit and enjoyed every bit of the same .Though I started to teach Yoga at the Sivananda Organization as a non paid volunteer slowly I started getting offers to teach outside and have now made it my own full time profession and today whatever success that I have as a Yoga teacher is due to the grace of my Gurus Swami Sivananda and Swami Vihsnu devananda and also due to my association with the Sivanada Institution . These days I am not very much active in the administration and the day to day activities of the Sivananda Centre in Chennai or in fact even teaching there as now my life is more focussed on my own Sadhana and my own private teaching but yet I maintain my association with the Organization through its teachings . Eventhough I read a lot about other Yoga Teachers and other yoga teachings yet at Core I follow the Sivananda System of Yoga both in my own personal practice as well as when I teach others and will continue to do the same . The last 12 years journey through the Sivananda Institution was not always a smooth one and had its own highs and lows but each experience was shaping me and educating me and had enriched me and expanded my vision and outlook and overall I was very much benefitted by my association with the Sivananda Institution and that was due to the grace of Swami Sivananda who brought me in to this institution on July 14 , 1999 and I am very much grateful to him for the same and always thank him for making me as a Yoga teacher .


Saturday, April 04, 2009

26) Reasons for not updating this blog for the past 3 months .

I was not updating this blog for the past 3 months as from end of December 2008 I was busy involved in preparing myself for the Sadhana Intensive Course at the Sivananda Ashram in Madurai from Jan 3-18,2009 .After successfully finishing the course I remained mostly in silence ( i.e not much online communication ) and confined myself only to my own Yoga Sadhana and my private teaching .This was a period where I was just nurturing the benefits of the Sadhana Intensive Course ( shortly called SI ) and the best way to do was to be away from net / other talks /chats etc and keep following my own sadhana and teaching . That was the reason why I was not also updating this blog for the past 3 months .Even though I am now busy with my own Yoga Teaching I found that it is high time I start updating my blog and continue to share my insights on yoga and related topics . The SI course was a very excellent one and offered me a wonderful opportunity to re-establish my connection with my teaching lineage i.e Sivananda Lineage and I do not have words to express the joy I experienced both during the course as well as the benefits I received after doing the same .I am very much thankful to my Yoga Guru Swami Vishnu devananda for packaging this wonderful 2 weeks Sadhana Intensive course for the Sivananda Teachers Training Graduates and I believe that the best way to express my thanks to my Guru is to keep intensfying my own Yoga Sadhana and keep sharing the benefits of Yoga with my students and help also uplift them .Swami Vishnu devanada coined the slogan many decaded back : "Health is Wealth , Peace of Mind is Happiness and Yoga Shows the Way" and I have found it practically true in my own life especially in my last 10 years as a Yoga Teacher as well as a Yoga Practitioner .